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VAT for construction is hugely variable which is why costs are presented ex-VAT. Your design team should have been able to tell you what VAT applied to you and ultimately worked to that although the whole designing to a brief vs designing to a budget is a common issue.
No disputing that your circumstance is bad form and I would have been miffed in that situation! Did you budget work up in the end, or did the design work down?
EstelleGetty-
It was always there, it was just how it was communicated and the fact they somehow thought when I said I had 75k I meant I had 75K +VAT.
So architect fees etc, which are a fixed VAT.
Anyway, went with someone who understood that in the end and came in bang on budget (but got less than we had hoped for and everyone had said was possible).
But we are happy with it.
chrisbmx116
Hard to explain without writing a novel, but they didn't hide it, it was just like...
"I have 75K to spend, that's it, all my money, my entire pot."
"Cool, here's the plans! Comes in at 75k! (+vat)"